Police foil BNP procession in Dhaka

The police on Monday unleashed an attack on a procession of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in Dhaka injuring about 15 activists and arrested over 30.
Dhaka city BNP south unit brought out the procession from Purana Paltan near the north gate of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque at about 2:00pm as part of the party’s seven-day programmes for ‘unconditional’ release of jailed party chairperson Khaleda Zia.
The party claimed that cops arrested at least 30 leaders and activists and injured more than 15, including Dhaka south unit Swechchhasebak Dal senior vice-president Rafiq Hawlader, charging baton on the procession.
The police, however, claimed that they arrested seven people.
Police picked up two journalists of Bangla television from near the spot of procession and later released them. 
Talking to New Age, Paltan police station officer-in-charge Md Mahmudul Haq
denied that they attacked the procession, saying cops dispersed the procession as the protesters vandalised a police vehicle.
About picking up the two television journalists, he said that there was a misunderstanding and finally that was settled. 
Several hundred leaders and activists of BNP and its front and associate organisations brought out the procession from near north gate of Baitul Mukarram at about 2:00pm. As the procession reached near Dainik Bangla crossing, cops attacked the procession and charge baton, according to witnesses and BNP assistant organising secretary Abdus Salam Azad, who was in the procession.
BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in a statement condemned and protested at the police attack on the ‘peaceful’ procession.
He demanded immediate unconditional release of the leaders and activists arrested and wished early recovery of those were injured in police baton charge. 
BNP and its front and associate bodies took seven-day programme from Sunday for ‘unconditional’ release of Khaleda who was jailed for five years and sent to erstwhile Dhaka Central Jail in old Dhaka on February 8 in a graft case by Dhaka Special Judge’s Court-5.
As part of the programme, BNP would form human chains in metropolitan cities including Dhaka and district headquarters on Wednesday.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net